Ladder tape of bead chain and the like



May 18, 1954 G. DRAGON LADDER TAPE 0E BEAD CHAIN AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 19, 41951 2 F 5 1 l DE@ O/w, o 2

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Patented May 18, 1954 UNITED STARS QTENT -FFI'CE LADDER-TAPE OF BEAD CHAIN AND THE LiKE George Dragon, Bridgeport, Conn.

Application October 19, 1951, Serial No. 252,043

l 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in the ladder members forA slfia'des'v of the type known as Venetian blinds.

In the type of Venetien blinds most commonly used, a plurality of ladder-like fabric webbings having integral rung-like fabric Slat-receiving cross straps are suspended from a tilting bar at the top of the blind. The slats carried by the cross straps are spaced by the cross straps a distance suiicient to provide a complete closure of the blind when the ladders are tilted'. Such blinds, however, have presented diiculty due to the fact that the fabric webbing soils easily and has a tendency to change in length and thus alter the length of the blind as compared with the window and'also the relation between the slats. This change in length may be due te either stretching or shrinking. If the ladder changes length, the entire ladder must oe replaced to correct this change.

Further, since the cross straps are integrally formed with the fabric ladder, no alteration can be readily made with respect te the fabric webbings to correct the change in the'relation of the slats and it was necessary in such instances to replace the entire ladder to correct the diiculty. Also fabric ladders have a tendency to deteriorate and break intermediate their ends, in which case the entire ladder must be replaced.

Efforts have been made to replace the fabric webbing of Venetian blinds by more durable devices such as link chains, lazy tongs, etc., but these have proved to be unsatisfactory for the reason that they are either too bulky so as to prevent proper closing of the blind, difficult to assemble, heavier to operate, or too expensive to be commercially practicable. They also have a tendency to mark or damage the window frame, or other woodwork adjacent the blind.

It is a purposeof the present invention to provide an improved Venetian blind ladder member, the length oi which remains substantially constant at all times and wil1 be unaliected by the weight supported thereon or by temperature and humidity conditions.

It is a further purpose of the present invention to provide an improved ladder member which may be easily installed to create the proper length of Venetian blind and which may be easily adiusted to other lengths, if desired, at a. future time.

It is a still further purpose of the present invention to provide an improved ladder member which will have a serviceable life at least equal to the life of other parts of the Venetian blind.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved'Venetian blind tapewhich will not become easily soiled or faded and which may easily be cleaned, if and when they ever require cleaning.

Stillzanother'purpose;of the present invention is to provide an improved Venetian blind tape which will not be bulky and which will not be liable to marl?` cr damage the window woodwork.

A still further purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved connector for the cross strap whereby the cross strap may be readily assembled to the vertical members of the ladder.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a construction wherein the spacing between the cross straps can be readily adjusted te provide for correct spacing of the slats of the blind.

lf desired, the cross slats may be cut away to receive the vertical member toA permit the cross slats to be tilted at a greater. angle.

These purposes are accomplished by using a vertically extendingflexible member having protuberances thereon capable of being attached to the cross straps, as desired, and to be readily removable thereirom. In the more speciiic aspects of the invention, these purposes are accomplished by using a ballor bead-chain of relatively fine size for the ladder member of the Venetian blind and by supplying cross straps or slat supports having connectors with sockets or other retention means at their ends for holding the balls or vbeads of the chain to provide for ready insertion of or removal of the bead chain from the Venetian blind assembly. An additional specific aspect of the invention is the provision of openings in the slat support which permit the tilting of the slats to substantially any required angle and which enable the closing of the blind slats to a position as close to each other as desired.

Other purposes, as well as features and advantages of the present invention will become ap'- parent from the following specification and accompanying drawings wherein I have illustrated and described rapreferred design of Venetian blind ladder -l amber embodying my inventive concept, but it to be understood that my invention is not to be considered limited to the construction disclosed except as determined by the scope of the appended claims.

in the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is aview in elevation showing the general construction ofY a Venetian blind using the bead chain ladder member of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing the construction ofthe bead chain and the slat supporting cross strap member in greater detail. Y

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in cross section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View in plan view of. the Venetian blind slat showing the slat supporting member.

Fig. 5 is anfexplodedperspective view showing the details of the slat supporting member..

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of modified form of slat supporting member of simple design.

Fig. '7 is a plan view of another modified form of slat supporting member.

Fig. 8 is a view elevation of the modied slat supporting member of Fig. 7.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, the Venetian blind I comprises a suitable frame member II which may be suspended by any convenient means, such as brackets I2, or the like, so as to be mounted in the proper relationship to a window frame F.

Supported within the frame member II is a tilting mechanism I3 of the usual type found in the industry and operated by the customary tilting cord Iii. Also supported within the frame member I I is a mechanism for raising or lowering the Venetian blind lil which includes a lifting cord I and pulleys I5 of the usual well known construction. A top slat or tilting bar I9 is pivotally mounted in bearings in the tilting mechanism I3 and in a bracket 20 suspended from the trame member II and is adapted to be pivoted or tilted by the tilting mechanism I3 and the tilting cord I4.

A cross strap or slat support 2| is mounted adjacent each end of the tilting bar I9 by means of screws 22 and comprises the means whereby bead chains 25 or other similar members may be suspended from the tilting bar I9 so as to hang vertically downwardly therefrom. The bead chain 25 is of the usual type and comprises a series of spaced globular masses or protuberances linked together in ilexible fashion by interconnecting links. It is to be appreciated that the smaller the chain is and the more beads that are present per unit length, the more flexible it will be. Although the beads have been described as globular, it is to be realized that other shapes are possible, such as ellipsoidal and the like, whereby a similar swiveling action is obtained in the bead chain.

As shown more particularly in Fig. 5, the cross strap or slat support 2| comprises a narrow platelike body portion 26 of a length suicient to receive a Venetian blind slat 2'I thereon. Upraised prongs or hooks 28 are formed out of the body 26 of the slat support 2I adjacent the ends thereof and hold the blind slat in the proper centrally located position thereon. The extremities of the support 2! are turned upwardly and outwardly and an opening 3S cut thereinto to form a pair of extending gripping ngers 29, 2S of such a size and shape that they are capable of receiving thereon a substantially cylindrical collar 32. A slit 33 and an opening 34 are formed in the eollar 32 whereby it may be slipped on the gripping lingers 29, 29 and then rotated so that the solid portion of the collar 32 contacts the fingers 29 and provides for the slit 33 and opening 34 to face outwardly. It will be appreciated that a socket or cage having a snap-in opening is thus formed at the junction of the slit 33 and the opening 3e whereby various objects having globular or similar form may be inserted with a snap action to be retained therein. The slit 33 and the opening 34 may be formed substantially at a right angle to each other whereby four corners are present at their junction, whereby various objects inserted therein will be held firmly therein.

Filamentary material in the form of a ballor bead-chain 25 is secured to the collar 32 mounted on the uppermost support 2l by inserting the top ball vor bead within the socket formed at the junction of the slit 33 and the opening 34. If desired, extra beads may be permitted to extend above the connection at the uppermost connecting collar 32 whereby additional length is present, should it be desired at any later time. Cross straps in the form of the slat supports 2| are then positioned at the proper distance from the superjacent Slat supports and are secured to the bead chain 2E by snapping the corresponding beads into the related selected sockets. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, every thirteenth bead has been snapped into a corresponding socket of a slat supporting member whereby the desired ladderlike effect is obtained.

It is, of course, to be appreciated that it is not necessary that the beads be spaced closely or continuously or equally along the length of the tape, so long as enough protuberances are present to snap into the required member of corresponding sockets. For example, if merely one standard size of Venetian blind is contemplated, merely one globular object is required at each desired point along the length of the tape. However, if adjustability is desired, or if the tape is to be used with slats of different standard widths or if the slats are to be spaced apart other than a standard distance, a bead chain having regularly and closely spaced beads is preferred. As a result, the slats may be spaced apart by different distances than illustrated by having collars snapped onto every fourteenth or fifteenth bead, for example, or any other gure, as desired. The exibility of such an arrangement can be easily visualized from a consideration of the fact that there will be thirteen or more swivel connections between each Venetian blind sla-t which are normally spaced apart a distance of 1% inches. As a result, when the Venetian blind slats are raised to a closed position, the loops of bead chain hang naturally from the slat supporting members and do not extend rigidly outwardly.

If the bead chain is, however, made too large and possesses only 6 beads per inch, for example, it has been found that the bead chain may loop outwardly in an undesirable fashion when the slats are brought together. However, where a bead chain is used and has 9 beads per inch, for example, suiiicient looseness is provided whereby the loop will merely hang naturally very close to the slats when they are brought together.

Although the invention has been illustrated as applied to a Venetian blind wherein the pull cords I5 extend beyond the ends of the blind slats 2l and are positioned in slots or openings 3B therein. the slat support may be provided with openings 39 whereby the pull cords may extend therethrough in another well known form of Slat suspension.

The opening 3Q extends inwardly beyond the gripping fingers 29 and the prongs 28 whereby considerable freedom of rotational movement is aiiorded the bead chain 25. For example, when the Venetian blind is tilted so that the slats assume various angular relationships to the tapes, such as when the left hand end thereof, as viewed in Fig. 3, moves upwardly, that portion of the bead chain immediately subjacent the bead held by the collar moves within the opening 3D and thus permits the individual blind slats to move to a greater angle than would be possible without opening 30.

A modification of the slat support is shown in Fig. f3 wherein a slat support 2I is formed with a pair of upturned and curled back end portions 4I, 4I. A slot 39 may be formed in these end portions prior to the curling operationand is of such a width that a bead of the bead chain 25 may be snapped thereinto and held between the ends 4l. The end portions 4I, il are rendered sufficiently flexible, due to the slot 39', and return to their normal positions after flexing to admit the bead and hold the bead in position, although not too tightly as to prevent a free ball and socket swiveling movement to the bead held thereby. In this form of the invention, the slat 2'1 is slid under the ends of the resilient end portions el, lli and securely held in proper centrally located position thereby. Openings may be provided in the Venetian blind slat supporting plate member 2 l of a nature similar to the bottom portions of openings 30 whereby the bead chains are permitted free movements during tilting of the slats. The slat supporting member 2i is preferably made of a light weight metal, such as aluminum, but may be made of other materials such as steel, plastic, fiat wire, etc., suitable for the purpose and possessing sufficient rigidity as required.

In Figs. '7 and 8, there is shown a slat supporting member made of wire bent into a form of somewhat the general outline of the form shown in Fig. 5. Slat supporting portions are formed and comprise a pair of wires M or a single wire bent into two parallel lengths. Gripping lingers 45 are formed at the end portions of the wire and are adapted to be used with a cylindrical collar of the type used with the modication shown in Fig. 5. It is to be noted that the central section of the slat supporting portion is arched upwardly and is capable of fitting and o conforming the Venetian blind slats which are similarly arched. It is, of course, obvious that the forms shown in Figs. 5 and 6 may be arched also if intended for use with Venetian blind slats of that curved shape.

If desired, the pull cord and the tilting cord may be made of a bead chain or similar material whereby longer service could be expected thereof and a more uniform appearance given to the Venetian blind as a whole.

The assembly of the species of the invention illustrated in Fig. 5 is as follows: The collar 32 is positioned so that its slit 33 faces the gripping lingers 29, 29 and it is then slipped thereon. Rotation of the collar 32 about its own axis brings the junction of the slit 33 and the opening 3d outwardly in position to removably receive the corresponding bead of the bead chain. Disassemu bly is brought about by a reverse operation of these steps. The ease and rapidity whereby the assembly or disassembly may take place is to be appreciated and forms an outstanding feature of the invention.

The assembly and disassembly of the species of the invention illustrated in Fig. 6 should be apparent from a mere visual inspection of the l drawing. The corresponding bead of the bead chain is slipped into the slot 39 or removed therefrom and that is all that is required.

Should the bead chain break, its repair is a comparatively simple matter by merely using the well-known bead chain connector links in common usage to connect the broken ends. In a similar way, if it is desired to make the bead chain slightly longer, for any purposes whatsoever, additional lengths may be supplied and linked to the existing bead chains. This is of great advantage when it is desired to move a Venetian blind from one window to another slightly larger window.

While I have shown and described what I believe to be a preferred embodiment of my inventive concept in the matter of simplicity and durability of construction, ease of operation, etc., it will be obvious that the details of such construction may be more or less modied within the scope of the claims without departure from the principles of construction or material sacrilice of the advantages of the preferred design.

Other variations and modiiications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

l. In a Venetian blind, a plurality of slats disposed in vertical arrangement; a ladder structure for supporting said slats, comprising a pair of spaced, vertically extending members having protuberances at spaced locations along their lengths and horizontally extending Venetian blind slat supports lying between and removably secured to said vertically extending members at said spaced locations, said slat supports each consisting of a single sheet metal strip having cage means at its end portions to removably receive said protuberances and to provide for swiveling movement of the protuberances in said cage means, each cage means comprising an end portion of the sheet-metal strip folded back on itself and forming superposed portions, said superposed portions Ihaving slots in vertical registration providing clearance for the vertically extending members, said vertically registered slots enabling the slat supports to assume various angular relationships with respect to the vertically-extending members during the tilting of said slats, the folded end portions of the strips being spaced from the reinainclers of the strips, and the edges of said slats extending into the spaces thus provided and being thereby retained on the sheet metal strips by the folded end portions thereof.

2. In a Venetian blind, a plurality of slats disposed in vertical arrangement; a ladder structure for supporting said slats, comprising a pair of spaced, vertically extending bead chains and a plurality of horizontally extending Venetian blind slat supports, each support consisting of a single, rigid, sheet-metal strip lying between and removably secured to selected beads of said bead chain at predetermined spaced locations thereon, said strips having folded-back end portions the folded edges of which have a radius of the same order of magnitude as the radii of the selected beads of said bead chains, said folded edges having slots providing cages in which said selected beads are loosely held to provide for swiveling movements thereof whereby the slat supports may freely assume various angular relationships to said bead chains during relative vertical movement of the chains, the folded end portions of the strips being spaced from the remainders of the strips, and the edges of said slats extending into the spaces thus provided and being thereby retained on the sheet metal strips by the folded end Y portions thereof.

References Cited in the file 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,165,292 Morse et al July 11, 1939 2,276,425 Slattery Mar. 17, 1942 

